Thermal dissipation system of an electric vehicle

ABSTRACT

The present disclosure relates to a thermal dissipation system of an electric vehicle that includes: a heat exchanger arranged at the front part of the electric vehicle for providing heating or cooling to an air conditioning system of the electric vehicle; a first heat sink and a second heat sink, which are respectively arranged at the two sides of the front part of the heat exchanger; a number of rotatable and adjustable air deflectors for changing the flow direction of the air flowing through the heat dissipation system. Temperature sensors are included within the thermal dissipation system for sensing the working temperatures and the environmental temperatures of a battery pack and a motor of the electric vehicle. Opening and closing states of the air deflectors are adjusted in accordance with data provided by the temperature sensors.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation of U.S. Nonprovisional patentapplication Ser. No. 14/842,803, filed Sep. 1, 2015, which claimspriority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/133,991, filed onMar. 16, 2015, and U.S. Provisional Patent No. 62/150,848, filed on Apr.22, 2015, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by referencein their entireties for all purposes.

BACKGROUND

1. Field

The present disclosure relates to thermal dissipation systems forelectric vehicles. In particular, a thermal dissipation systemconfigured to recapture heat dissipated from other operationalcomponents of the electric vehicle is discussed.

2. Description of Related Art

The present invention relates to an assembly of a heat exchanger used byan air conditioner of an electric vehicle and heat sinks used by abattery and/or a motor. Based on a new design of the electric vehicle,the heat sinks thereof can be arranged on two sides of a portion of theheat exchanger, in order to enable the heat exchanger to take fulladvantage of waste heat being dissipated by the heat sinks. There is aneed to design particular air to enable the heat source from the heatsinks to be absorbed into the heat exchanger, so as to provide optimalheat source management under various conditions.

SUMMARY

To achieve the above purpose, this disclosure describes a thermaldissipation system of an electric vehicle including: a heat exchangerarranged at an air inlet portion of the vehicle for the heat exchange ofan air conditioner of the electric vehicle; a first heat sink and secondheat sink, which are respectively arranged at the two sides of the frontpart of the heat exchanger; and a plurality of rotatable and adjustableair deflectors for redirecting air as it flows through the heatexchanger, the first heat sink and the second heat sink.

According to the invention, a number of sensors are arranged for sensingthe working temperatures and the environmental temperatures of a batterypack and a motor. Opening and closing states of the air deflectors canbe adjusted under different operating states of the air conditioner anddifferent temperatures of the battery pack and the motor, therebyenabling the heat energy dissipated from the first heat sink and thesecond heat sink to be utilized in an efficient manner

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a control module diagram of a heat dissipation system inaccordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2A is a schematic diagram of a working mode I of air deflectors inaccordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2B is a schematic diagram of a working mode II of the airdeflectors in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 2C is a schematic diagram of a working mode III of the airdeflectors in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 2D is a schematic diagram of a working mode IV of the airdeflectors in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the presentdisclosure; and

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a control flow of the heat dissipationsystem in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Various embodiments of the present invention will be described belowwith reference to accompanying drawings constituting a part of thedescription. It should be understood that, although terms, such as“front”, “rear”, “upper”, “lower”, “left”, “right” and the like,representing directions are used in the present invention for describingvarious exemplary structural parts and elements of the presentinvention, these terms are used herein only for the purpose ofconvenience of explanation and are determined based on the exemplaryorientations shown in the accompanying drawings. Since the embodimentsdisclosed by the present invention can be arranged according todifferent directions, these terms representing directions are merelyused for illustration and should not be regarded as limitation. Whereverpossible, the same or similar reference marks used in the presentinvention refer to the same components.

FIG. 1 is a control module diagram of a heat dissipation system inaccordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

As shown in FIG. 1, the control system of the heat dissipation system inthe present invention at least includes: a controller 101 (provided witha CPU 102 therein), an air conditioner state input 103, a battery packtemperature monitor 104, motor temperature 105, a battery packenvironment temperature sensor 110, a motor environment temperaturesensor 112, a first air deflector drive 106, a second air deflectordrive 107, a third air deflector drive 108, a battery pack heater 109, afirst air deflector 111, second air deflectors 121, third deflectors 131and so on.

The air conditioner state input 103 can be used for inputting theworking states of a vehicle cabin air conditioner, which include thefollowing three states: refrigerating, heating and turned off. The airconditioner state input 103 can take many forms including for amulti-position switch allowing a user to manually select one of thestates. In some embodiments, the air conditioner state input 103 cantake the form of a controller that varies vehicle cabin air conditionerbetween states to maintain a desired cabin air temperature. The batterypack temperature monitor 104 is arranged in the battery pack for sensinga T_(b) in the battery pack; the battery pack temperature monitor 104 ismade up of multiple temperature sensors 105 arranged at positions havingthe highest temperatures in the driving parts of the motor, which caninclude for example a motor drive, a gear box and the like. A motorworking temperature T_(m) is defined as the average value of the highesttemperature readings of these parts. The battery pack environmenttemperature sensor 110 is arranged at the outside of the battery packfor sensing an environment temperature T₃ at the outside of the batterypack. The motor environment temperature sensor 112 is arranged at theoutside of the driving parts of the motor, the motor drive, the gear boxand the like for sensing the environment temperature T₄ at the outsideof the driving parts. All of the temperature sensors mentioned above areconnected to the controller 101 and can periodically or continuously thesensed temperatures to the controller 101.

The first air deflector 111, the second air deflectors 121 and the thirdair deflectors 131 are respectively arranged behind an air inlet portionof the vehicle (specifically as shown in FIG. 2A to FIG. 2D). As anembodiment, the air deflector can be of a louver structure, and the airdeflector can be in an open, half-open or closed state by virtue of arotation of the blades of the louver. In the present invention, theembodiments of the present invention are illustrated just by taking theopen and closed states as examples; however, the half-open state of theair deflector is also encompassed in the conception of the presentinvention and can provide various embodiments in which air flow is evenfurther fine-tuned or adjusted to accomplish a desired cooling orheating configuration. For example, in some embodiments, individualvents or subsets of vents of an air deflector could be turned atdifferent angles to customize a flow of air through the air deflector.

When the vehicle is in operation, air can pass through the opened airdeflectors. Each of the air deflectors is provided with a drive, namelythe first air deflector drive 106, the second air deflector drive 107and the third air deflector drive 108. The drives can be electric motors(omitted from the figure) for respectively driving the first airdeflector 111, the second air deflectors 121 and the third airdeflectors 131. The first air deflector drive 106, the second airdeflector drive 107 and the third air deflector drive 108 are alsoconnected to the controller 101. The controller 101 respectively sends acontrol signal to the above-mentioned drives, and the drives control theopening and closing of the air deflectors when at work.

When the temperature of the battery pack is too low, the controller 101sends a control signal to the battery pack heater 109, and the batterypack heater 109 works to raise the temperature of the battery pack.

As shown in FIGS. 2A-2D, a first heat sink 220, a heat exchanger 210 anda second heat sink 230 are arranged at the front of the vehicle body orin any portion of the vehicle configured to receive incoming air. Thefirst heat sink 220 and the second heat sink 230 are respectivelyarranged at two sides of the front part of the heat exchanger 210. Theheat exchanger 210 can be a heat exchanger associated with the cabin airconditioner. When the conditioner is refrigerating, the heat exchanger210 is configured to dissipate heat, and when the air conditioner isheating, the heat exchanger is configured to absorb heat. When the heatexchanger 210 transitions between heating and cooling configurations,various heating and/or cooling system components can adjust atemperature of cooling/heating elements of the heat exchanger 210. Thefirst heat sink 220 and the second heat sink 230 can be respectively theheat sinks of the motor and the battery pack.

The first air deflector 111, the second air deflectors 121 and the thirdair deflectors 131 are respectively arranged between two of the firstheat sink 220, the heat exchanger 210 and the second heat sink 230.Specifically, the first air deflector 111 is arranged in front of theheat exchanger 210, and the two ends of the first air deflector 111 arerespectively connected with the right end of the first heat sink 220 andthe left end of the second heat sink 230. In some embodiments, a centralportion of the first air deflector 111 can include a protrusion thathelps to smoothly split air contacting the central portion of the firstair deflector 111 when the first air deflector 111 is closed. The secondair deflectors 121 includes two deflectors, a left second air deflector121.1 and a right second air deflector 121.2, the two ends of the leftsecond air deflector 121.1 are respectively connected with the right endof the first heat sink 220 and the left end of the heat exchanger 210,and the two ends of the right second air deflector 121.2 arerespectively connected with the right end of the heat exchanger 210 andthe left end of the second heat sink 230; the third air deflectors 131includes two deflectors, a left third air deflector 131.1 and a rightthird air deflector 131.2, the left third air deflector 131.1 isarranged behind the first heat sink 220, and the two ends of the leftthird air deflector are respectively connected with the left end of thefirst heat sink 220 and the left end of the heat exchanger 210; theright third air deflector 131.2 is arranged behind the second heat sink230, and the two ends of the right third air deflector are respectivelyconnected with the right end of the second heat sink 230 and the rightend of the heat exchanger 210.

When the vehicle is in operation, air 250 enters into the vehicle andwhen the first air deflector 111 is open (indicated by a dotted line asdepicted in FIGS. 2A-2B), the air can through air deflector 111 to flowdirectly through the heat exchanger 210. When the second air deflectors121 are closed (indicated by solid lines), the air exiting the firstheat sink 220 the second heat sink 230 cannot flow into the heatexchanger 210. When the third air deflectors 131 are closed and thesecond air deflectors 121 are open (as depicted in FIG. 2B), the air canflow from the first heat sink 220 and the second heat sink 230 to theheat 210, thereby substantially increasing an average temperature of theair entering the heat exchanger 210.

According to the temperatures of the motor and the battery pack anddifferent states of the cabin air conditioner, the opening and closingof the air deflectors can be adjusted to optimally distribute the heatdissipated by the first heat sink 220 and the second heat sink In somestates, at least some of the heat dissipated by the first heat sink 220and the second sink 230 can be transferred to the heat exchanger 210.The following figures will depict four different working modes that canbe assumed by fully opening or closing the air deflectors air deflectorsof the thermal dissipation system.

FIG. 2A shows the working mode I of the air deflectors and how the airdeflectors affect the incoming air flow.

In mode I, the first air deflector 111 and the third air deflectors 131are open, the second air deflectors 121 are closed causing the air 250entering the vehicle to pass through first heat sink 220, the heatexchanger 210 and the second heat sink 230 at the same time. Because thesecond air deflectors 121 are closed, the portion of air 250 passingthrough the heat sink 220 and the second heat sink 230 is prevented frompassing through the heat exchanger 210. This mode is mainly applicableto the condition that the cabin air conditioner refrigerating. By meansof such an arrangement of the air deflectors in this mode, the heatdissipation of the battery pack and the motor has no influence on therefrigeration of the cabin air conditioner while ensuring the heatdissipation effect of the battery pack and the motor.

FIG. 2B shows the working mode II of the air deflectors and how the airdeflectors affect the incoming air flow.

In this mode, the first air deflector 111 and the second air deflectors121 are open, and the third air deflectors 131 are closed. A part of theair 250 passes through the first heat sink 220 and the second heat sink230 first and then flows through the heat exchanger 210 after beingheated by the first heat sink 220 and the second heat sink 230. Aportion of the air 250 passes directly through the heat exchanger 210.This mode is mainly applicable to the condition that the cabin airconditioner is turned off and the temperatures of the battery pack andthe motor are relatively low. By means of such an arrangement of the airdeflectors, a portion of the air 250 passes through the first airdeflector 111 to reduce the volume of inlet air passing through thefirst heat sink 220 and the second heat sink 230. Such a configurationcan be beneficial when the battery pack and engine do not require amaximum amount of heat dissipation. This volume of inlet air can ensurethe heat dissipation effect of the battery pack and the motor while alsoallowing an amount of air 250 to engage heat exchanger 210 having beenpreheated by either of the heat sinks.

FIG. 2C is a schematic diagram of the working mode III of the airdeflectors in the present invention.

In this mode, the first air deflector 111 and the second air deflectors121 are closed, while the third air deflectors 131 are open. In thismode, all the air entering the vehicle only flows through the first heatsink 220 and the second heat sink 230 without passing through heatexchanger 210. This mode is mainly applicable to the condition that thecabin air conditioner is turned off and the temperatures of the batterypack and the motor are relatively high. Under this condition, by closingthe first air deflector 111 and the second air deflectors 121 andopening the third air deflectors 131, all the air passes through thefirst heat sink 220 and the second heat sink 230, so that the volume ofthe inlet air passing through the first heat sink 220 and the secondheat sink 230 is increased compared with the condition that the firstdeflector is open, and this volume of inlet air can increase the heatdissipation effect on the battery pack and the motor when the batterypack and motor are operating at higher temperatures. Such aconfiguration can also be advantageous as it reduces any backpressureintroduced by the thermal dissipation system associated with directingthe air through heat exchanger 210. In this way cooling provided to thebattery pack and the engine can be maximized.

FIG. 2D shows the working mode IV of the air deflectors and how the airdeflectors affect the incoming air flow.

In this mode, the first air deflector 111 and the third air deflectors131 are closed, the second air deflectors 121 are open, and all the airentering the vehicle flows through the first heat sink 220 and thesecond heat sink 230 first and then flows through the heat exchangerafter being heated. This mode is mainly applicable to the condition thatthe cabin air conditioner is heating. Under this condition, by closingthe first air deflector in front of the exchanger 210, the air firstlyflows through the first heat sink 220 and the second heat sink to absorbthe heat dissipated from the battery pack and the motor and thentransfers some of absorbed heat to the heat exchanger 210, such that theheat exchanger 210 can effectively utilize the heat dissipated from thebattery pack and the motor to provide warm air to the cabin.

FIG. 3 shows one manner in which a controller can be configured toswitch between each of the four working modes in accordance with anoperating state of the air conditioner various temperature sensorreadings.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of the control flow of the thermaldissipation system in the present invention. The controller 101 executesthe steps as shown in FIG. 3. At Step 301, the thermal dissipationsystem of the electric vehicle is started. Step 302 includes receiving astate signal of the air conditioner inputted via the air conditionerstate input 103. At step 303, the following operations are executed inaccordance with the state signal of the air conditioner received in step302.

Heating State:

At step 304, a battery pack temperature T_(b) is received by a signaltransmitted by a battery pack temperature sensor 104.

At step 305: judging whether the battery pack temperature T_(b) is lowerthan the lower limit T₁ (the first preferable temperature of T₁ is 8°C., and the second preferable temperature T₁ is 0° C.) of a preferabletemperature range of the battery pack according to the temperaturesignal received in step 304; if yes, executing step 306; if no,executing step 317.

At step 306, sending a control signal to the battery pack heater 109 todrive the battery pack heater 109 to work in order to increase thebattery pack temperature T_(b), and then repeating step 304.

At step 317, sending a control signal to the first air deflector drive106, the second air deflector drive 107 and the third air deflectordrive 108 to make the air deflectors (111, 121, 131) operate in mode IV.

Turned Off State:

At step 307, receiving a battery pack temperature T_(b) signal inputtedby the battery pack temperature sensor 104.

At step 308 determining whether the battery pack temperature T_(b) isbetween the upper limit T₂ (the first preferable temperature of T₂ is25° C., the second preferable temperature of T₂ is 35° C. and the thirdpreferable temperature of T₂ is 45° C.) and the lower limit T₁ of thepreferable temperature range of the battery pack according to thebattery pack temperature signal received in step 307. When T_(b)≤T₁indicating the battery is operating below the preferable temperaturerange, executing step 309. When T₁<T_(b)<T₂ indicating the battery isoperating within the preferable temperature range, executing step 310.When T_(b)≥T₂ indicating the battery is operating above the preferabletemperature range executing step 316.

At step 309, sending a control signal to the battery pack heater 109 todrive the battery pack heater 109 to work in order to raise the batterypack temperature T_(b) up towards T₁, and then repeating step 308.

At step 310, receiving a battery pack environment temperature T₃ signalinputted by a battery pack environment temperature sensor 110;

At step 311, judging whether the battery pack temperature T_(b) ishigher than the battery pack environment temperature T₃ according to thebattery pack temperature T_(b) signal received in step 307 and thebattery pack environment temperature T₃ signal received in step 310; ifyes, executing step 316, if no, executing step 312;

At step 312, receiving a motor working temperature T_(m) signal and amotor environment temperature T₄ signal inputted by the motortemperature sensor 105 and the environment temperature sensor 112;

At step 313: judging whether the motor working temperature T_(m) ishigher than the motor environment temperature T₄ according to the motorworking temperature T_(m) signal and the motor environment temperatureT₄ signal received in step 312; if yes, executing step 316, no,executing step 315;

At step 315: sending a control signal to the first air deflector drive106, the second air deflector drive 107 and the third air deflectordrive 108 to make the air deflectors (111, 121, 131) be in mode II;

At step 316: sending a control signal to the first air deflector drive106, the second air deflector drive 107 and the third air deflectordrive 108 to make the air deflectors (111, 121, 131) be in mode III; and

Refrigerating State:

At step 314, sending a control signal to the first air deflector drive106, the second air deflector drive 107 and the third air deflectordrive 108 to arrange the air deflectors (111, 121, 131) in accordancewith mode I;

The flowcharts of determining different modes of the air deflectors(111, 121, 131) are described above, in order to achieve thecomprehensive utilization of energy sources among the first heat sink220, the second heat sink 230 and the heat exchanger 210 to optimallymanage the energy sources.

Although the present invention has been described with reference to thespecific embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings, it should beunderstood that the thermal dissipation system of electric vehiclesprovided by the present invention can have a variety of variationswithout departing from the spirit, scope and background of the presentinvention. Those of ordinary skill in the art should be still awarethat, parameters in the embodiments disclosed by the present inventioncan be changed in different manners, and these changes fall within thespirit and scope of the present invention and the claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A thermal dissipation system suitable forplacement within a channel defined by a vehicle that draws ambient airthrough the channel during operation of the vehicle, the thermaldissipation system comprising: a heat exchanger configured to providecooling and heating for a cabin air conditioning system; a first heatsink and a second heat sink arranged forward of and laterally shifted toopposing sides of the heat exchanger, each of the heat sinks configuredto be in thermal contact with an operational heat emitting component ofthe vehicle; and a plurality of air deflectors configured to alter aflow of the ambient air through the heart exchanger and the first andsecond heat sinks by switching between two or more configurations of thethermal dissipation system including a first configuration and a secondconfiguration, wherein the first configuration is a heatingconfiguration for the cabin air conditioning system and the secondconfiguration is a cooling configuration for the cabin air conditioningsystem.
 2. The thermal dissipation system as recited in claim 1, whereinthe plurality of air deflectors comprises a first air deflectorpositioned in front of the heat exchanger and spanning the gap betweenthe first and second heat sinks.
 3. The thermal dissipation system asrecited in claim 2, wherein the plurality of air deflectors furthercomprises second air deflectors arranged to prevent air passing throughthe first and second heat sinks from flowing into the heat exchanger. 4.The thermal dissipation system of claim 3, wherein the plurality of airdeflectors further comprises third air deflectors arranged to redirectair exiting the first and second heat sinks into an air intake of theheat exchanger.
 5. The thermal dissipation system of claim 4, wherein inthe first configuration the first deflector and the third deflectors areclosed while the second deflectors are left open.
 6. The thermaldissipation system of claim 4, wherein in the second configuration thefirst deflector and the third deflectors are left open while the seconddeflectors are closed.
 7. The thermal dissipation system of claim 1,wherein the operational heat emitting components of the vehicle are amotor and a battery pack.
 8. The thermal dissipation system of claim 7,further comprising: a controller for adjusting the closing and openingof the plurality of air deflectors in accordance with an operating stateof the heat exchanger and the temperatures of the motor and the batterypack.
 9. The thermal dissipation system of claim 8, further comprising:a first temperature sensor disposed within the battery pack; and asecond temperature sensor disposed within the motor, wherein the firstand second temperature sensors periodically send signals to thecontroller indicating temperature changes in the motor and the batterypack.
 10. An electric vehicle, comprising: a vehicle chassis defining anair inlet; an air conditioning system configured to govern a temperaturewithin the electric vehicle; a motor; a battery pack configured toprovide energy to the motor; and a thermal dissipation system positionedproximate the air inlet and configured to receive air entering the airinlet, the thermal dissipation system comprising: a heat exchanger inthermal contact with the air conditioning system, a first and a secondheat sink in thermal contact with the motor and the battery packrespectively, the first and second heat sinks being positioned forwardof and on opposing sides of the heat exchanger, a plurality of airdeflectors configured to alter a flow of the ambient air through theheart exchanger and the first and second heat sinks by switching betweentwo or more configurations of the thermal dissipation system including afirst configuration and a second configuration, wherein the firstconfiguration is a heating configuration for the cabin air conditioningsystem and the second configuration is a cooling configuration for thecabin air conditioning system, and a controller configured to directconfiguration changes of the plurality of air deflectors.
 11. Theelectric vehicle of claim 10, wherein when the thermal dissipationsystem is operating in a heating state the controller directs theplurality of air deflectors to divide the air received through the airinlet so that a first portion of the air passes through the first heatsink and a second portion of the air passes through the second heat sinkand then the first and second portions of the air are subsequentlyrecombined to pass through the heat exchanger.
 12. The electric vehicleof claim 10, further comprising: a battery pack heater in communicationwith the controller and configured to supply heating to the battery packwhen the thermal dissipation system is in a heating mode.
 13. Theelectric vehicle of claim 10, further comprising: a battery packtemperature sensor arranged in the battery pack and connected to thecontroller for sensing a working temperature of the battery pack andsending a temperature signal to the controller; a motor temperaturesensor arranged in the motor and connected to the controller for sensinga working temperature of the motor and sending a temperature signal tothe controller; an air conditioner state input connected to thecontroller for sending a working state of the air conditioner to thecontroller; a battery pack environment temperature sensor arranged atthe outside of the battery pack and connected to the controller forsensing the environment temperature of the battery pack and sending atemperature signal to the controller; and a motor environmenttemperature sensor arranged at the outside of the motor and connected tothe controller for sensing the environment temperature of the motor andsending a temperature signal to the controller.
 14. The electric vehicleof claim 10, further comprising: a first air deflector drive, a secondair deflector drive and a third air deflector drive, which are used forreceiving the control signals of the controller and respectivelycontrolling the opening and closing of a first air deflector, a secondair deflector and a third air deflector of the plurality of airdeflectors.
 15. A thermal dissipation system suitable for placementwithin a channel defined by a vehicle that draws ambient air through thechannel during operation of the vehicle, the thermal dissipation systemcomprising: a heat exchanger configured to provide cooling and heatingfor a cabin air conditioning system; a first heat sink and a second heatsink arranged forward of and laterally shifted to opposing sides of theheat exchanger, each of the heat sinks configured to be in thermalcontact with an operational heat emitting component of the vehicle; anda plurality of air deflectors configured to alter a flow of the ambientair through the heart exchanger and the first and second heat sinks byswitching between two or more configurations of the thermal dissipationsystem including a first configuration and a second configuration,wherein the first configuration is a heating configuration for the cabinair conditioning system and the second configuration is a coolingconfiguration for the cabin air conditioning system, wherein theplurality of air deflectors comprises a first air deflector positionedin front of the heat exchanger and spanning the gap between the firstand second heat sinks.
 16. The thermal dissipation system as recited inclaim 15, wherein the plurality of air deflectors further comprisessecond air deflectors arranged to prevent air passing through the firstand second heat sinks from flowing into the heat exchanger.
 17. Thethermal dissipation system of claim 16, wherein the plurality of airdeflectors further comprises third air deflectors arranged to redirectair exiting the first and second heat sinks into an air intake of theheat exchanger.
 18. The thermal dissipation system of claim 17, whereinin the first configuration the first deflector and the third deflectorsare closed while the second deflectors are left open.
 19. The thermaldissipation system of claim 18, wherein in the second configuration thefirst deflector and the third deflectors are left open while the seconddeflectors are closed.
 20. The thermal dissipation system of claim 17,wherein the operational heat emitting components of the vehicle are amotor and a battery pack.